Photo and Commentary ©2023 by Robert Howson
Tuesday, July 4, 2023
I can still remember the thrill I received upon opening my first box of 64 crayons! My world view suddenly expanded as I realized the options available to me, being able to choose between Raw Sienna, Sepia, and Raw Umber, rather than being restricted to a lowly brown. Such power in the hands of a primary child was almost too much to take. And then there were the blues – and skies would never be looked at the same way again.
If I were to fault the Crayola Company, it would be that they never elected to create a color entitled Cinnamon. Such a rich color, carrying with it aromatic reminders of far and distant lands, of things yet unseen and flavors yet untasted. Reminders of this oversight came to mind just the other day as a pair of Cinnamon Teal landed in a pond not far from our house. Yet no imagined crayon, or photograph for that matter, could capture the exquisiteness they displayed.
However, Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase suggests a way we can “paint” with true colors. Listen to his rendering of Christ’s familiar counsel. “Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be a light, bring out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! (Matthew 5:14-15 The Message) Makes me think a rich Cinnamon might be included in God’s boundless package of colors.